


Remind me how it feels to hear your voice

by Sunnystar



Series: Death and related matters [1]
Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Ben Hargreeves Needs A Hug, Ben Hargreeves' Tentacles | Bentacles, Body Horror, Dead Klaus Hargreeves, Gen, Hurt No Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Klaus Hargreeves Needs A Hug, Klaus Hargreeves Needs Help, Protective Ben Hargreeves, Sad, eventually
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-13
Updated: 2020-04-13
Packaged: 2021-03-01 19:08:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,564
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23622073
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sunnystar/pseuds/Sunnystar
Summary: Klaus is dead, and Ben is not.(Wherein Klaus Hargreeves dies and leaves a monster behind.)
Relationships: Ben Hargreeves & Everyone, Ben Hargreeves & Klaus Hargreeves, Klaus Hargreeves & Everyone
Series: Death and related matters [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1703422
Comments: 53
Kudos: 453
Collections: Best of Umbrella Academy, Klaus, Platonic Relationships, Siblings, Umbrella Acedmy, angst with a happy ending, platonic shenanigans





	1. with strange aeons even death may die

> > _Wait a second, let me catch my breath_  
>  _Remind me how it feels to hear your voice_  
>  _Your lips are movin', I can't hear a thing_  
>  _Livin' life as if we had a choice_

It wasn’t a mission, because Klaus has long stopped going on missions. Ben and Luther are fighting and they both make it out alive. _(In another universe, Luther carries Ben’s bloody body back to the academy, and Klaus cried as he saw his poor dead brother standing next to his bed.)_ Ben hurries back and rushes over to Klaus because Klaus makes Them calm down, and Ben is so, so tired. He doesn’t want to exist right now.

But Klaus is missing, and Ben can't hear this arrhythmic heartbeat in his room.

But Klaus isn’t there. 

He looks through the kitchen, through the library, through the gardens. He asks his mother, asks Allison, asks Diego in the gym, asks Vanya in her room, _Have you seen Klaus?_ They all say no.

Something churns in his stomach, something that might be fear or indigestion, and the Horrors snarl.

> _K̸͇̘̺̠̐̇̕ĺ̸̥͐̂̋͜ã̵̲̦̓̊ǘ̶̧͉s̵͎̃́k̷̠̃l̶̺͓̝͊̈́͂a̶̡̘̻̽͊ủ̸̧̖̙̪̀̾̄s̶̙̩̒k̴͕̭̮͗͗͆͜l̴͔͎̓͑̃̕ā̶͇̋̏͌u̵̠̞͗̾̉s̵̥̗̄͌̀k̴̺̋͂̽͝ĺ̶̡͇a̷͖͓̍u̶̖̟̲̒͂̽͝s̴͖̮̹̉ķ̴̢̠̯͝l̶̥̟̥͕̈́ǎ̵͚̥̝̊͝u̶͔͓͌-̸̫̭͚̬̍̌̕̚_
> 
> He shakes his head, pushing **Them** away. There's nothing to worry about yet, anyway.

“Where’s Klaus?” He asks to an empty hallway, waiting for an answer that physically couldn’t come. The Horrors still, and it feels like they’re both holding their breath, but it doesn’t feel good, there’s something wrong, there’s something _wrong_.

Ben waits and it’s lunchtime, and Klaus isn’t there. Klaus isn’t there in _their_ room and Klaus isn’t in the attic and _Klausklausklausklaus_ -

> The Horrors echo in his head, voices twisting _K̸͇̘̺̠̐̇̕ĺ̸̥͐̂̋͜ã̵̲̦̓̊ǘ̶̧͉s̵͎̃́k̷̠̃l̶̺͓̝͊̈́͂a̶̡̘̻̽͊ủ̸̧̖̙̪̀̾̄s̶̙̩̒k̴͕̭̮͗͗͆͜l̴͔͎̓͑̃̕ā̶͇̋̏͌u̵̠̞͗̾̉s̵̥̗̄͌̀k̴̺̋͂̽͝ĺ̶̡͇a̷͖͓̍u̶̖̟̲̒͂̽͝s̴͖̮̹̉ķ̴̢̠̯͝l̶̥̟̥͕̈́ǎ̵͚̥̝̊͝u̶͔͓͌-̸̫̭͚̬̍̌̕̚_

Klaus isn’t there for dinner.

Klaus isn't there in the house at all, and Ben nearly goes mad trying to find him. Klaus hasn't run away, because his stuff is still there, but where could he be?

The Horrors twist up, and Ben nearly screams in agony. _Klaus, where are you?_

It’s been three days.

It’s been three days and Ben snaps, thrusting the knife into the table. His sibling jump in surprise and even Reginald looks vaguely startled. His face is impassive, except for his eyes. They gleam with barely constrained rage, and shy, bookish Ben would never speak up, but Ben is no longer Ben.

  
“Number Six, what is the meaning of this behavior?” And Ben lets **Them** into him, and his eyes twist with green and pink. 

**“Where is Klaus?”** It’s not his voice that’s speaking, and Diego looks like he’s going to throw up, because the rest of them haven’t heard **Their** voice, and Ben snarls.

> “̴̻̠̈́W̶̨̥̔̇̽h̵͕̀e̸͉̣̟͈̋̍̅r̵̫̓̉͑ͅḛ̴͓̈́̒̎͘ ̸͖͖͗i̷̤̜͖͛̽s̸̡̘͇͌̃̒ ̶̰͎̞̻͑̃̓͑Ķ̶͛̐͠l̸̲̦̟̻͂̊a̵͇̝͌͌͐u̵͖͊s̵͓̲̓̽?̵̜̣̅”̷̛̳͒̾͠ They ask again, and Reginald does nothing.

**They** snarl. **Their** voice is deeper with age, high pitched with multiple souls, and Ben lets them. Because they _wantwantwantwant_ the same thing and they _needneedneed_ _Klausklausklausklaus-_

“Number Four is currently training,” their odious father says, and Ben’s eyes flash black with anger.

They know what “training” consists of, Ben knows the reality of it. But **They** understand how broken Klaus will be afterward, and they don’t _stopstopstop_ and Ben is losing control-

**“Where!”** The Horrors churn under his stomach and his father looks disgusted, and Luther is yelling at him, but Ben and Jamin ( _Klausklausklausklaus_ ) need to know where the monster locked up their brother, and Reginald keeps eating his stupid fucking food and then Ben and **Them** just _snap_ \- 

**They** (Ben and **Them** ) are holding the old man in a chokehold, against the wall, and his siblings can’t touch him, Vanya is curled up under the table, scared, and Allison’s voice is hoarse from trying to rumor them but she can only alter reality with humans and Ben and **Them** have never been affected because **They** are not human. 

Luther is hitting them, and They throw him against the wall, and his neck shouldn’t be at that angle, _shouldn’tcouldn’twouldn’_ t and-

Ben freezes (nonononono) and throws Reginald away and _stopsstopsstops_

because he _knowsknowsknows_

and They take over his legs until he’s outside and he keeps

runningrunningrunning and his siblings are behind him, angry like wolves and

the mausoleum is white in the moonlight, _white like a tomb_ and **They** shatter the door with one strike

and Diego is confused behind them (What are you _doing_ Ben?) and then it’s just Ben stepping inside, turning around and around as he _lookslookslooks_ and he sees-

He sees Klaus-

> K̵̛̛̛͔͈͕͚͔͓̗̉̈́́̏̿̔̐̆̀͛̐̉̿̓̽̐͊́̃̽͂̋͂̔̅͑̅̚͘̚͝ͅl̴̨̡̛͓͉̘̗̭͔̗̗͕͉͈̩̦͔͑̄͐̓̋̉̏͒͋̆̀̏́̈̒͘͜͜͝͝͠͠͝ͅa̸̝͋̽̐̎̊̌͗̓̂̓̉͑͛͗̃͆́̔̄̀̆́̿͊͗̀̆͌͌͛̀̃̋̕͘̕͝͝͝ͅụ̵̝̟̓̅͋͋͗͘͜͜͝ͅṡ̸̟̜͉̩̫̀̔͆̄̏̎̏̓̊̓̈́̅̋̽͌͂̈́͋͌͘̕͘͝͠͝ḵ̴̛̰͓̭͓̲͕̯͑̐̍̋͒̅̇͊̂̉̇̆̐̈́͊́͗̄̕̕l̸̢̨̛͈͙̝̥̖͔̯̥̫̟̯̮͍͖̟̹̹̤̲̩̳̖͍̱̭̙̘͔̞͒̅̓̓̅̓̒̉̊̌͊̍̅͗̊̍̒͑̒̍̽́̽̂̑̕̕͘̕̕͜͝͝͝ͅą̴̢̧̻̜̱̜͈͓̮͇̲̙͖̗̤̦͖͙͚͇̗̰̲̗̯̪̯̱̖̈̍͂̌͒͘͝ư̴̡̧̛̛̠̭̙̹̥̟͇̲̮̦̙͔̳̫̟͎̣̲̣̪͍͖̘̬͕̪̓̎̔̈́̐̆̈̋̎̌̕͜͝͠s̵̢̞̘̻̹̲͓͕̻̱͍̩͇̗͙͇̞̙͇͙̠̞͈̞̈̎̓̓̒̏̃̓̅̔͂̌͘͝͠ͅḱ̸̡̧̠̰͇͚̺̉̓͌͑̾̇͒̉̽̊̽̓̍̈́͊̕͘͠͝ļ̵̡̨̛͓̤̜̥̲͙͉̯̟͎͍͍̮̤͎͉̘̞̠̟̫̙̫͑͆̈͒͂̈́̔̄̊̒̅́̇̾̈́̽́̇̍͑̇͗͊͂̓̌̈́͘͠ͅa̵̡̢̛̺͕̩͎͔̦͇̭̫̜͚̯̙̫͍̟̙̼͚͙̤̺̣̰̯̺̼̅͆͑͊̅̂̌̀͛͋͐̔͒͑̐̎͐͋̆̽̅̄̏̋͌̚͝ų̸̨̛͈̺͉͖̗̺̫͔̲͚̦̱̗̙͑̔̓̄͆̾͛̉̏͆͒̐͛̌̾̌͗̔͊̏͗͒̓̅́̑̌̃̌̐͘͘̚̚͜s̶̡̡̛̭̠͈͕̯̯͉̰̜̮͙̦͈͖̬͓͖͉̣̱̗̤̖͔̙̮͒̅̐̄̈̐̇̓͐̔̃̈̅̋͘͝͝͝

and his body curled up and the Horrors wail inside of him but he steps forward again and again and again and they carry him outside ( _nononononono_ ) and he sits on the steps and shakes him.

> n̶̻͇̮͕̬͖̲͒̓̿̓͋̍͊̈̊̓̑́͊̕̕͝͝͝ͅơ̸̡̨̲͔͔͉̰͙̗͚͔̳̲̰̺͙̮̜̠̳̖͓̝̬͉̩͍̟͈͒̏̂̑̔̀̆̐̉̈́̀̄̓̉͛͛͘͜͝ͅn̸̙̝̦͙̫̩̪̥̦̩̼̳̤̳͚̦̟̦͛͑̀͑̄̔̊͆͊̇̂̓͆͗͂̃̉̋̊͂͂͗̊͆͗̑̇̅̃͂̅͑̿̚ǫ̴̧̧̧̖̠̜̮̫͖͎̫̲̫̭̗͔͍͕̰̬̬͉͍͕͕͙͍̭͐̽̉̿̏̓̈́͐̃̎̃̒̑͋͌͋͐̋͗͐̿̚̚̕̚͜͜͝ͅņ̸̡̹̬͎̣̹̙͕̣͕̘̤̦͕͕̣̫̹͕͕̝̟̯̝͚͙̬̮̣̤̐͋̾͆̈͌͗̑͒̌͜ò̸̢̨̲͔̠̩͓̩̱̓͋͠n̶̢͎͈͎̰͈̮̱̣̺̘͔̬̥̘̱͇̥͓̣͉̟̩̪̳̬͔̤̥͉͙̭͖̳̼͉̙̬̙͈̏̓͒͑̈́̇̆͐̑͑̍̌̔̕ọ̷̢̪̿̓̈̽̌͋͒̑̌͌̓̌̾̑̅̾̔͆̅̍̉̾͆͘̚̚͘͘ͅṋ̶̢̡̛̪̳̞͖̤͙͙̞̱͔̙͕͉͖͚̭͙̝͉̈́̒̈́̉̿̓̈͝ͅͅo̴̡̧̳͉̤͕̫̦̳̳̫̰̮̪̺̙͇̺͇̭̻̘̜̗͋̐͐̌̾̀͑̉̋̄̈́̕̚͜͜ơ̶̢̢̬̺͍͖͇̹̰̟̪̝̟̋̓̄̿̃͆͑̾̽̏̅̇́̇͐̿͊͐̑̽̎̕͘͠͝͝n̵̢͓̯̥͙͖̠̥̺̱͈͕̩͇͓͖͖͆͌̌͌̽o̶̻͇͔̹͉̘̿̓̎́͋͛̅͒͑͛͛̈́͘ͅn̶̨̼̮̳̞̤̪̗͇̥̺̘͔̈́̅͋͜͠ͅơ̸̮͖͛̔̄͐̉̆̾̉̐̏n̸̡̡̧̛̘͕̜̟͙̙̘͓̭̤͖̪̱̝͇̟̺̺͍͖̟̖̪̟̥̦͋̅̏̂̄̅̒͒̉ͅͅǫ̷̨̧̛̬̬͕̹͇̺͖͔̤̖͍͓̙̬̫̩̱͙̳̤͕̲̤͇̝͙̖̮̱̘̻̺̔̀̽̏́̉̑͗̔̋̊̓̓̀̇́̿̅̆͗͑́́͑̍̈́̉̕̚͝͝͠͝ͅͅ The Horrors wail and Ben _can't_ hear himself _think_.

“Klaus.Klaus. Wake up, Klaus.” And Diego and Vanya and Allison and Luther (Luther?) stand around him, as he presses his warm fingers and Klaus is so, so, so cold. Diego falls to his knees as he presses his fingers to Klaus’s pulse and his breathing becomes heavy and Ben is so, so, so far away because-

Because-

There is _no pulse._

Ben can’t _breathe_. His siblings move around him, trying to look at Klaus, but he can’t, he can’t let go, he can’t, Klaus-

“-look here. Ben. Ben. Please. You’re scaring us.” Of course, he was scaring them, because he was a monster, a beast, and _Klausklausklaus-_

> Ḱ̴̛̳̯̲̼̰̬̭̃̾̾̆͒̈̃́̓͌͒͝ͅl̴̫̰̥̜̣̞͍͕̟̬͊͑͂͒̈́a̴̡̭̣̞̠̪̱̝̖͓̖̫̅̑͊̊̌̈́̃̇͛̿̓͝u̵̹̩͔̼͙̦̣̟̖͕̽̒̂̕s̸̝̘̪̭͛̈́̐̃̅͋̔̍̉ ̶̨̡̟̘͈̱̭̩̳͚͎͕̖̯͒̍̃k̸̢̡̦̲̬̤̲̫̣͔͇̩̬͚̗͙͌̔̍̌̓̆͆͑̓̀̊̑̌̅͝e̴̢͇̝͇̥͈̝̟̙̩̜̠͚̲̮͍̅͂̓̅̓p̴̼̂̉͒̔t̸̞͇́̀̉̄͛̐̈́̑̋͠ ̴̡̡̛̯͔̠͚̼͇̱̊͗͒̎̾̎̈́̔̎͠͝͠t̵̨̛̪̻͔̰̞̘̗̯̝͌̉͑͜ḧ̶̢̢̡͙͕͈͖̲̣͕̣̣́͗̒ẽ̴̢̧̤̻͉̩̱͍̖̦̞̞͍͜͜ͅ ̴̨̢̛̟̘͈͔͔͇͚͈̟̥̥̞͙̳̊̂̈́͗̋̄̈́̃̅̈́̀̓̂̚m̸̨̧̪͔̘̬̠̖̘͈̗͔̰̱̪͑̃̈̋̚͝o̸̯̟͇̲̙͕̝̘͋̊͛̉̑̌̈́̈̈̽̕͘n̴̞͋̽͂̍̚s̵̰̞̭̬̠̥̗̣͓̦̼͈̗̃̀̀͊̒͂̽̑̂̚͜͜t̷͙̘̳̟̊͗͒͝ę̶̛̫͓͉̩̑r̶̙̣̳̗͖̹̞̾̉̋̕ş̶̛̥̙̦̭͖͆̎̆̔̒̏͗͆͐̓̇ ̵̧̻̦͂͜a̸̞͍̟̲͔̼̺̥̓͐̅̓͗ẘ̶̨̲͙̺̺̲̬̥̟̝̠͖͇͛̌͆̒̀͒͒̉̎͗̇̒͜͜ͅa̷̛̦̺̜̠̤̩̗̭̱̯̿̄̇y̷̛͖̖̺̞̮̭̘͚̔̅͊͆͋͗͒̆̈́̂͑̚͜͝ͅ 
> 
> [Klaus kept the monsters away.]

“Breathe!” Diego’s dark eyes shine, and Ben realizes he’s crying. Ben made him cry. The Horrors twist inside with fascination. 

“Klaus,” he whispers, voice hoarse. Diego grabs him and suddenly, they’re hugging over Klaus’s dead body, and Ben falls apart.

“Klaus!” The Horrors scream and he’s screaming and Diego is sobbing and Allison is crying and Vanya is crying and Luther is crying and they’re all crying because Klaus is-

“Focus!” And Luther hits him lightly and Ben wants to scream at him to care- but then Luther is pulling him into his arms and hugging him and they’re all hugging him and Vanya’s hair gets into his mouth and Ben opens closes his eyes and breathes. In.

Okay. Klaus is gone. Most of his siblings are here. He choked Reginald. And Klaus is still gone.So.

What next? _(Can there even be anything after this? Is there a future without Klaus?)_

The Horrors, weirdly enough, have settled down, don’t even shift inside, because they can’t do anything right now, they can’t even process. Ben hears a whorl of whispers in his head, of the Horror’s blatant disbelief.

_Ghost. Ghost. Ghost._ Jamin whispers inside, looking for him, looking for Klaus. And Ben hurts hurts hurts because Klaus is _deadgonelost_ and Ben can't find him, and the Horrors can’t find him, and Ben and Jamin want Klaus, want nothing but _pretty-foolish-addicted-scared-lost-lovely_ Klaus and Klaus is dead.

_Klaus. And Ben. KlausandBenKlausandBenBenandKlausBenThemandKlaus-_

> _Ķ̵̡̯͎͍̤̙̯̈́ͅl̵̢̫̙̗̼͈̭͍͖̬̩̯̩̉̋̒͌͒̉͊̉͜ͅą̴̛͚̞̭̥̎͒͆͋̄̏͛̃̍̔̑̐̕u̸̱͍̩͖͚̱͛̈͊̓̊̄s̴̛̟͐̽̈́̿̾͂̄͂̊̈̌̐͠a̴͎̬̩͈̓̇̆́̆͑͌͝͠n̸̬̘͚̝̯͙̻̫̞̫̹͖̩̮̰̅̊̓̇̌̑̎̽͊̆̈́̕͘͝͝ͅd̵̘͑̆͋̋̃̐B̸̡̧̧̟̼̠̰̺̬̪͚̦̃̄̈́̍͛̍̾̋͆͌̋͘e̶̛͉̤̍̉͗͋̍̚̚͝ņ̵͖̤͇̯͑̔̃͆̿̄̄̚K̴̢̛̳͚̤̹̺̝͕̤̪͈̀̐̾̒̐͐̋̌̑l̶̛̹̲̪͔̝̩͇̹͍̉͑̈́̄͂̌̿̾̇͂̕͘̚͝a̶̡̧̢͓̤͕̳̼̳̺̦͓̼͇͙̿̀͗͌̋͐̉́̏u̷̧͍̘͑͜s̴̮̺̜̃a̷̬̹̹͓̪͕̮̥̱̓̾̽̈͑n̷̯͓̼̰̣͖̯͑̃̚͝ͅd̵̥̜͇͎̟̦̂͐̎͆̍̐̈́̒̏͝͝B̵̨͈̦̅̏̀̌͑̎͘ḙ̷̢͑̓͌̿̆̇͊̅͜͝ņ̸̹̳̞͖̼̾́̃̃͋̎̈́͂̋̇̿́B̷̡̰͕̥̦̩̭̞͉̙̫͊̈́͌̆̈́̎̇̋̚̚e̷͚̥̟̤̭̟̲̰̙̰̲̼̣̜͐̊͊̄̃̿̔̍͠ͅn̴̮͍̱͙͓̝̖̠̘̥̹̰̍͐̋̈͗̅̓̎͂͘͝a̶̧̨̘̞̘͑͂͋̋̏̓̋͗͒̓̕͜n̴̡̧̢̢̻̱̟͓͎̪͌͐̂ͅd̸̛͍̮͈̃̏̒̆̑͑̌̽̊̕Ķ̶͔͉̟̳̳̰̙̖̝͊̒̇̆̄̄̉̈́̉̃̋̓̓͂̎l̸̨̨͍͇͎̰̤͕̤͇̹̯̠͂͌̅͆́̊̍̊̍̉̓̓͘͠a̵̤̩̫̱̎͊̇͊̓̿ͅư̷͍̩̙͔͇͓̳̪̟̝͋͒̑̽̂̒̾̌̂̕s̶͙͎̘̰̘̠̜̪͔͓͉̀̏̉̽̃̉̏̊̂̓͊̚͠͝B̸̧̥̝̯̩̩̗͍͚͔͍̠̜̲͋̍̒̾͜͜ë̷̛͔̰́̎̓͐̌͐̚n̵̨̗̙̦͎̪͇͕̹̻̓̓̒͌̅͛̊̅̅́̊̍T̴̡̧̝͓̝͍̭̘̺̯̲̪̩̥͈̏h̶̬͕̜̯̟̼̫̱̣̹͒̌ę̵̨͕̙̺̼͉͐͋̏̾m̷̪̰͓̲̞̬̙͖͊̂͑̀̽͘͝ą̴̞̟̣̰̪͈̮̳̜̿͆͗̾͂̀̉̅̿̐̄͌͜ň̴͍̣̒̾̋̌̐̏͊̽̕͠͝͝d̴̰̺̍͋͐͊̓̀͒K̵̡̳̺̼̳͕̥̬̝͔̽̍̽͒̇͋̂̈̉͊̃̀̇l̷̛͍̮͈͙̻̲̆̃̿̒̄͒͛̏̔́̚̕͝͠a̸̤̱͘u̵͙͔̜̟̯̟̜̠̗̩̻̽͋͛̌̏̃̅͋͜͜͠s̷̨̨̟̝̯͕͈͖̤̝̯̙͎̓͛̿͐̏͊͋͌̾̚ͅ-̵̨̰͓̲͐̃͐͌̃̅_

Klaus died alone in a tomb, he died in a tomb, he died in a tomb. He died in a tomb that destroyed him at eight and Klaus was _brokenbrokenbroken_ and doesn’t make sense that Ben should _breakbreakbreak the tomb that killed Klaus?_

> (Destroy it, They chant.)
> 
> ḋ̷̢̛͓̳̲͉͉͎̖̟̞͍͈̅͐̋̂̑̚͝ę̵̡̛̙̭͇̝̦͕̜̻̹̬̦͓̭̃̾̈̿̎͊̾̾͜͝͝ṡ̷̛͚͉̼̬̋̎̎̽̑͝ť̴̨̛͚͙̙̩̤͉̮̾̑͊̉̒͘͠ŕ̴̻͙̖o̶̧͎̤̼̮̣̬͙̳͕̙͉͕̗̎̔̍͆͊̈̇̈͛̏̌̄̀̚͘ỷ̷̥̼̗͖͙̘͉͎͕͔́̆͋̋̈́ ̷̟̙̱͔̎̀̉̌̈́̎̎̐̋͗̕͝͠͝i̶͇̞̳̇̃̆͒̐͝͝t̸̡̨̡̡̼̜͚̘̖͙̹̹͈̅̾̾̾̽͒̏̃̆̽̅͛̂̕͜͜͝,̶̲̜͎̞̻̜͓͙̝̱̙͕̰̭̰̔͌̍͌͝ ̴͔̬̳͓̱̠͆͜d̶̘͔̜̣̄ẻ̴̡̛̛̼̥͇̦̖̺̝̭̺͖̜̅̑̅̌̌̃́͂͘̕ͅṣ̵̛̥̩̳͋̇̄̄̌̑͛̔̚t̷̥͔̩̹̫͔̩͖͑̌́͝r̸̺̤̘͉̠͖̱̳̽̒̈́̈́͒̿̊̈́̑́̇̕͝͝ͅȍ̷̡̧̹͔͚̝̯̬̠̥̰͖̣͓̳̝̃͗̆̄͒̿̈́͛̈́͝ỹ̷͙̤͒́͊͗̀͆̂͘͝ ̵̠͎̮̗͍̻͍̰͓͛i̷̛͔͖̳̘̫͓̰͉͈̼͔͆̄̈̓̅́̄͂̕ț̵̛͚͉̪͇̜̬͙͈̤̠̄̃̆̌̅͑́̓͂͠

He shakes off the hug before turning around, facing the mausoleum.

“Ben, what-” He interrupts Vanya, eyes flashing.

“I’m going to destroy his tomb.” Klaus's house of horrors, the Horrors cackle, the assholes. He lifts his shirt and lets them go wild. The Horrors tear apart the marble structure, bit by fucking bit, until all, there’s left is a roofless, crumbling tomb, open to the starry (okay, no) night. Where no one would be trapped. 

Klaus was trapped, and he was too late.

Klaus is dead, and then there’s no point. Ben begins laughing, and his siblings look at him in anger, concern, and he’s laughing so hard, but why are his cheeks wet? Why are his cheeks wet, why does he feel like he’s choking?

“Ben-” Luther begins, but Ben just shakes his head and lays his head on Klaus’s chest and closes his eyes. He wants to die, wants it to be him because Klaus- 

Klaus died alone. Klaus died _alonealonealonealone-_

The Horrors are silent, unshifting, waiting. 

“Ben.” Allison presses her hands to his cheeks, forcing him to look up at her face. “Ben.” 

Who is Ben? Can there be a Ben without Klaus? His mouth moves without his say so, and Vanya sobs harder.

“Ben, we have to bury him. We have to bury him before Reginald finds him.” Luther opens his mouth to say something, probably about how Father would want to see the body, but Diego hits him and he shuts up.

“Ben?” Vanya chokes out.

“Okay.” He says because Klaus would hate for the old man to have a formal funeral for him. He’d prefer being buried in the night, with only his siblings for company. Luther wants to protest, but Diego gets a shovel, and suddenly, they’re digging a grave for their baby brother, and Ben presses a kiss on his crown. Allison weaves a flower crown out of wildflowers and Vanya runs and gets her violin, ready to play. Ben sets him inside, still holding his cold hand, and he hates this, hates Klaus’s peaceful expression, his mussed makeup.

Everyone sits around, silent.

“K-k-klaus would hate this,” Diego said. “H-h-he hated the silence. W-w-we should t-t-talk to him. He’d hate the quiet.” They all look to Ben for approval.

His neck feels rusty, worn out. He manages a nod. Luther clears his throat, but Ben shoots him a glare, and he pipes down. He doesn’t want to hear it from Luther about Klaus’ addictions, at least not first. He looks at Vanya, and she wilts a little, before standing up.

“I’m going to play a song?” Ben nods, affirmative. Vanya stands straighter and takes a deep breath. And then she takes her bow, and Ben listens.

It’s sad, the melody, and there are screeches (on purpose) and Ben’s vision blurs because Klaus would’ve loved this, the chaotic wildness and the sheer pain in her playing, and Vanya is crying and wailing and _it hurts it hurts it hurts_ and she crashes down and keels over and her tears fall into the grave and Ben closes his eyes and is _falling apart_ -

And Diego stands up and curses at Klaus, and Ben nearly rips him apart, but he can almost feel Klaus laughing at this, laughing at stuttery Diego cursing Klaus out for dying, the stupid piece of shit, what happened to leaving at 18? And Diego leans into Ben and Ben doesn’t push him away even though he hates it because Diego, the asshat, loved Klaus too and Klaus was the only one allowed to be rude to others.

Allison says she’ll never yell at him for taking her skirts again if he would wake up. She cries afterward and Luther glares at Klaus’s corpse in his usual emotionally constipated way, but Ben can feel the misery and sorrow in his eyes and maybe that’s enough. Luther whispers something unintelligible and smiles softly afterward, before crying a little, and Ben still feels like he’s going to float away, but maybe, maybe he’ll stay. Maybe he’ll stay right now.

He presses a kiss to his dead brother’s knuckles before resting his arm on his chest. Sweet Klaus, asleep forever. Ben leans in and kisses his forehead, and then his nose. Poor Klaus. Poor, dead Klaus.

( _Poor Ben._ ) The Horrors writhed inside, and he scowled. He threw a handful of dirt inside the grave, and his siblings followed, before Luther pushed in a shitload of dirt inside, patting it down.

“How are we going to mark it? So we can come back?” Vanya’s jaw clenches and her eyes are suspiciously wet. Ben stands up, and with Luther and Diego’s help, he drags a chunk of the mausoleum at the top of the grave. He makes sure the press it inside the dirt, so it stays.

“There! Now, Klaus can be here and out of the goatfucker’s sight.” Luther opens his mouth, probably to chastise him, but Allison takes his arm, and he quiets.

“You stupid, lovely bastard. You’re not supposed to die, dickhead. Get up, They miss you.” Ben’s voice is hoarse, and he lays down next to the grave. Diego makes a move to pick him up, but he kicks him until he leaves him alone. His siblings stare at him in concern.

> Ǩ̶͖̰̩̈́l̶͚͗͝ā̴̢̽̓u̸̬̓s̶͇̺͂̾̏K̴̡̛͚l̵̯͉̓͛̕ä̶̮̙͕́͝u̷̡̜̮͋s̶͓͝Ḵ̷̇ͅl̶̛̤̋a̶̹͒͜ȗ̶̯̊s̴̼͗̊,̴̧̬̱͋̄͛ ̸͙̻̲̓̑̿k̴̺̯͌̏͗i̷͉̹̓͠͝n̶̢̝̪̈́́d̵̯͚͑̕ ̶̧̯̐̈s̵͎̳̟̔́̾t̷͕̆͑u̵͙̝͖͋p̸̞̉͛̅i̷̞͐ḑ̵̃ ̶̳̙̆͗K̷̺̈͊ļ̵̗̠͗̽a̷̳̳̿͆ư̴̬̦s̵̩͖̲͂̌,̶̬͔̓ ̶̭̠̩͛̀n̴̟͈͛͊̓o̸̝̜͎͂ ̴͔͗͠ş̶̐̓̈e̵̘͓͍̒͘l̶̯̄f̵̦̅̆-̸̧̮͇̄p̷̨̖ŕ̶̟̖̖̍̍ĕ̷͚̌s̵̲̄ȅ̶̳̤r̷̹̐͒͊v̷͓̤́ă̵̙͎̼̿ẗ̸͈ỉ̴͚̻͓͒̂ő̵̜̬̒n̷̻͋̇ ̷̰̲̐̄a̵̫̽͋̾t̷̜͇̱̔ ̵͖̤̹̀̍a̷͙͗͐l̵͉̇̓l̵͔̎̓̽,̶̦̪̹̍̓ ̸̬̱̘ț̸͓̆h̵̢͍̍̍e̵͎̞͘ ̸̥͖̽̾͝s̴̩̻̜͗t̸̗̑̊ṵ̸͚̈́͜p̴̩̅̿ị̵̘͑ḑ̵͔͌ ̸̝̅̂͗S̵̜̲͚̊ḙ̶̩̜̽͋̄ä̶̠͠n̴̖̗̱č̷̺̝̲̽̊ę̶̫͌ ̴̨̤̜̈́͝ć̷͇̓ỏ̵̘̠͉̑u̷̟͕̞͝l̵̢͔̎d̶̳̣͊n̶͇̥̘̐̈'̶͍̰̾t̵̥̰͇̿̈́ ̶̨͋͘d̷̡̫̔̂ỉ̷̫̬e̵̦͋-̷̢̄

“Ben, we can come back tomorrow,” Allison says, hesitating. Ben glares at her before nodding, and Luther helps him up. But instead of putting him down, he throws him over his shoulder, and Ben tries to worm out his grip before giving up.

> L̵͎̱̐̄͑̎ë̶̞͙̮̜̮̣͖̙́́̽̐̅t̵̞͈̯͔́ͅ ̵̲̼̹̙̫̖̮̰̺͖̦͊̂̌͛̀͑͝g̷̨̝͔̻̜̅͌̈͗͛̿͜o̷̰͕̯͍̻̜̗̒̇̈̈̔͛͘͜͝͝ͅ!̶̞͚̩͕̰͛̇̉͒̈́͐͒͂̔̿͝ͅ ̴͚̖̅̌͂̑̚͝L̸̹̮̹̻̖͍̑e̸̩̩͍̹̝̮̤̫̒̆̾͛̇͜t̸̜̠͔̠͚̳̻̙̤̯̰̄̃̚ ̵̛̦̂̔́͜g̷̢̧͉͎͍̟̦̪͍̳̻͌̽̍̆̆̑͋̑̑́͝ŏ̸̮̬́!̷̭͓̝̫̆ ̶͍̭̐͌̍̎̊͛̓̌Ķ̵̢̡̜͖̖̥̮͙͍̬̅ľ̷͔̘̤̜̦̅̈́̓͗͊͐a̴̢̟̺̺̮̰͒̅͛̂͘͝u̸̡͓̦̖͓͛͗̎͠ṡ̶̨̻̘̰̞̜̻͉̫̐ͅ!̵̨̥̗̟̟̳͋́̓͆͌̅̈́̔̈́̈ͅ
> 
> [Let go! Let go! Klaus!]

"Shhh," says Luther, and they-

The Horrors stop their snarling and curl into a ball of comfort, and they don’t rock inside of him.

“Promise we’ll come back?”

> P̷̡̼̬͂̉ṟ̴̠̦͋͆̒͠ơ̵̪̼̓̊͆͑̇͋̒̾m̷̡̛͇̹̫̙̞͍͕͖̰i̷̧͍̰̠͎̗̽̒̍̚s̷̛̻̹̻̒̇͌̅͝͠ẽ̸̛͔̗̤͈͉̉̈̆̎̇̏̕͘̚͝?̸̛͈̪̰̜̰̖̳̥̱̱̬̿̀͐́̈́̒͠ ̵̡̡̖͔̤̲̤̲̙̱͔͈̍̍P̷̢̖͍̯̮̺̪͔̞̃̓͆͛̋̆̆̽͠͠͠r̷̩͚͇̰͕̂͗̈́̚ơ̸̧̢̱̹̗̰̲̼̖͑̌͊͋͑̅̚̚̚̚m̴͚͍̯͔̫̮̑̓̊̓͑͐i̴̙̎͌̋̅̃͜͠s̴̹̥̗̈́̎ë̷͈̙̞͎̹̇̾̚?̵̛͎͕̫̹̩͕̓̂̓̅̒̂̅̚͝͝
> 
> [Promise? Promise?]

He doesn’t know who he’s asking, but Diego is the one who replies. 

“We’ll be back. We’ll bring cards or his clothes so we can bury them too, so he can have them.” This calms Ben a little, and he goes limp in Luther’s grasp, and stares as his brother’s grave get smaller and smaller. He somehow falls asleep on the walk to the Academy, and only slightly remembers Luther setting him in his bed, before trudging to his room. And Ben is tired enough that he passes out hugging his pillow, pretending he’s curled up with Klaus.

He dreams about Klaus, and he wakes up in tears, because Klaus isn’t there, and Ben wishes with all his heart that it was him. Klaus and Ben, Ben and Klaus, and Ben wishes his best friend was with him.

> _Sing me to sleep now_  
>  _Sing me to sleep_  
>  _Won't you sing me to sleep now?_  
>  _Sing me to sleep_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't fucking know, okay? I love Ben, I love Klaus, I love both of them so much and I was sad.
> 
> Alan Walker, baby! Also, peppered in a Lovecraft quote in the title, so kudos if you noticed that.
> 
> Tell me if you want the ending to be happy or sad? Contemplating Klaus digging himself out...


	2. That is not dead which can eternal lie

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really love some of your ideas for the ending, but I wrote this, already, so I posted mine. I'm planning to write the one about the waffles (because it's cute!) and the one where he comes out at the funeral (because I think that badass) as like...Omakes? So yeah that's going to be and just for you guys! But I do hope you like the og ending because it was hard to write.

> _Remember me now, time cannot erase_  
>  _I can hear your whispers in my mind_  
>  _I've become what you cannot embrace_  
>  _Our memory will be my lullaby_
> 
> _And when your stitch comes loose  
>  I wanna sleep on every piece of fuzz  
>  And stuffing that comes out of you, you  
>  I took too many hits off this memory_

He wakes up in the dark, in crushing silence, and bugs work into his skin, and roots into his skull.

He screams silently, because there is no air, and if there is no air-

Well.

He can’t breathe.

He falls into pained darkness again.

* * *

_The ghosts surround him, where is he? They shouldn’t be able to touch him they shouldn’t-_

* * *

He wakes up again. There are no bugs this time, but there are dead flowers on his head, and he imagines them growing through his eye socket.

He imagines petals on his tongues and thorns under his ribs.

He imagines little creatures making homes within his ribs and shudders at the feeling of his skin falling apart in sheets.

  
He closes his eyes to sleep again.

* * *

_It’s dark in the mausoleum, it's so fucking dark, they’re clawing at him-_

* * *

His hands are cold, and his eyes are sewn shut. He opens his mouth only for dirt to crumble on his tongue. It tastes like petrichor and decay, and he swallows the dirt-

  
only to choke on it.

* * *

_His heart is thudding out his chest and the ghosts keep screeching into his ears-_

* * *

Someone is talking to him, but the words are muffled. Almost like there’s something solid between them, and he can’t hear what they’re saying.

  
It’s soothing though, and he tries to listen.

  
It sounds almost musical, like a bow and string.

* * *

_they draw blood with their keratin claws and Klaus can not fight back-_

* * *

He wakes up again. Vanya.

Vanya played the violin.

But the wall between their rooms was never thick, and Klaus could hear the lullabies she played for him. He can’t hear her now, not clearly.

_Where is she? Why isn’t she playing anymore?_

_Where's Vanya?_

  
He closes his eyes, tired.

* * *

_he hates them, hates them, hates them, and he can't breathe-_ **  
**

_they're taking the air from his lungs-_

* * *

He’s dreaming, he thinks.

Except it’s _not a good dream._

There’s a boy, crying, and he doesn’t know what to do, but something tells him-

something tells him he has to get closer.

So he moves closer, knees almost knocking the boy’s, except they go through. 

He’s so startled he nearly screams when the boy begins wailing.

_ Klaus, Klaus. I miss you so much. I miss you so, so much. Why did you leave? _ And he’s suddenly thrust back, and he’s in the dark again, underground, and he cries for the little boy and he can't remember, he can't remember-

_ His brain- _

_ is dripping out- _

_ his thoughts- _

_ are _

_ gone. _

* * *

_let them out, let them out, let him out, they're pulling him apart-_

* * *

Klaus.

  
Who is Klaus? 

  
Who is he? Who was he?

  
His name is _Number Four._

Four, which was sei in Cantonese, and sounded like séi, or Death. He didn’t like it. Four is for all the bad things.

Four was in the middle of Seven, Four was in the middle of 5 brothers, Four-

His name _was_ Four, but then it _changed._

  
_Was he Klaus?_

  
Was he the cause of the little boy’s grief?

 _What happened to him,_ _what happened to them all?_

_Where is the boy with shiny black eyes,_

_where is he,_

_where are they all,_

_why did they LEAVE him-_

* * *

_Ben-_

* * *

_Klaus._ His name is Klaus, and he is _lost._

  
Did he wander away? Did they lose him in a maze?

  
_Where did he go?_

  
Where is he?

  
And why are his bones rotting and muscle decaying if he’s still here?

* * *

_Ben, please-_

* * *

Another dream.

Except there are more people, and there's no sign of the little boy.

There’s a girl with dark, curly hair, whispering to a tall blonde boy.

_I’m worried about him,_ she says, voice almost a hum. _It’s like he’s fading away._

_He just misses…_ The boy trails off, eyes suddenly pained. _We shouldn’t worry about it, he’ll be fine._ The girl’s face contorts.

_Of course, he misses him! We all miss him!_ She hisses, like a cat. _But he’s not okay!_ She storms off in a huff, eyes glistening with unshed tears.

_I'm not okay._ She whispers.

Klaus follows her, feet not touching the ground, a terrible feeling his chest.

Klaus knows, somehow, that they’re talking about the little boy who misses him. That they miss him.

He tries to touch the girl, but he is pulled back-

_And darkness, end scene._

* * *

_Ben, where are you-_

* * *

Number Four was Klaus, and Klaus was gone, but there was a boy with shining black eyes, a girl with curly hair, and a boy with blue eyes, and-

  
and Vanya!

  
He forgot about Vanya, but Vanya was there.

  
Did Vanya miss him? 

  
Why didn’t she play for him anymore?

Vanya was in a big house with no one to speak to anymore-

Klaus wanted-

needed-

to see if-

  
Well. Klaus had nothing better to do.

  
So.

  
Klaus was in Vanya’s room, watching his baby sister fade away. She played on her violin before playing it on her bed, gently, before slumping down to the floor.

  
She lays down there, and her fingers twitch to her cardigan pocket, and she pulls out a bottle of pills. Her finger trembles as she tips over the bottle, and pulls out one.

  
And then another. And then another. 

And more and _more and more-_

Klaus's chest is heavy, no-

  
He- He can’t- No, not Vanya, not little number Seven!

  
With strength he didn’t know he had, he pushes the pills out of her hands. Vanya stares at her bare palm right before her breath goes slack.

  
She’s fainted, he realizes.

  
She looks asleep, and he pokes her little cheeks, knowing they would go through.

  
But they don’t. Her skin is warm to touch, but she shivers a little, moaning softly.

  
Klaus stands up and looks at his bare feet.

  
So. What was happening? 

  
He floats through the door, before flying down the banister downstairs. How did he get upstairs? He doesn’t know.

~~(He doesn't know anything at all.)~~

  
But.

  
But.

  
He looks outside the window, and there’s a black marble statue of a boy.

  
A boy who…looks a little…like him.

  
He whips around the stature, clambering on top.

  
The plaque reads Number 4, and nothing else.

  
The statue looks very little like him.

  
He hates it instantly, and he’s about to kick it, when suddenly-

  
“K-k-klaus?” 

  
A little voice asks from behind him, and he turns around to face warm brown eyes. 

  
A scar on his face. Klaus knows how he got it, too. He was there.

  
“K-k-klaus? You-you…you stupid bastard, h-h-how?” And Klaus opens his mouth to answer, but he can only touch him before suddenly-

  
He’s stuck again.

  
But this time, it’s different.

  
Because Klaus can twitch his fingers, he can edge them slowly to his chest.

  
There’s no pulse, but that’s…well, that’s an easy fix. Isn’t it?

_Isn't floating on the edge of consciousness infinitely worse?_

  
He’s _so tired._

  
So he closes his eyes.

  
_And he forgets._

* * *

_I need you-_

* * *

He wakes up as Four and _he hates it._

He falls asleep as Klaus and _he’s tired._

* * *

_Ben, PLEASE-_

* * *

Again. And again. And _againandagainandagain-_

Where are you, _Klaus Hargreeves?_

* * *

_Somebody help me-_

* * *

Another vision, but he is there.

The little boy is no longer so little, and something inside him aches fiercely.

The boy is packing up his things, eyes tearing up fiercely. He mutters something under his breath, and then sniffles.

The boy’s eyes are rimmed red, and he wishes he could comfort him, but he’s intangible, and the boy is untouchable.

The boy marches over to the room across from his and closes the door, locking it. He floats inside, perched on the armoire. The boy sits on the bed before laying down on it, hugging a pillow.

 _I wish you were here._ The boy says, eyes still closed. _You’d tell me I wasn’t being an idiot._ He sighs, and Klaus pushes off from the cabinet onto the bed, almost on top of the boy.

_They’re all so mad at me, saying I need to get over it or I need to move on. But it’s like…something broke when you died, and I don’t want to be fixed. I don’t want to forget you._

The boy lifts his shirt up, and he has a moment of confusion until the boy’s abdomen opens up, and he sees a host of Lovecraftian beasts, and he motions to touch one, carefully, but a tentacle tries to wrap around him, and he-

Doesn’t move back.

He isn’t scared, though he should be.

The tentacles hum with otherworldly rhythm, pulsing, and Klaus giggles. 

> K̴̨̲̱̥̺̺̰̮͋̏̐̌̊̀̈́l̷̺͈̰̈̓̑̚̚͠a̴̤̮̬̺̬͇̬̺̞͈̐̈́̊̋̆̀͘͠͝u̸̙̟̙͓̗̘̖̝̍̑̅̈́̄̊s̷̭̥͍̫̩͓̖͙̐̌̒̈́̓̄̃̕k̶̯̯̣̯͍̮̃̀l̵̳̰̤̿͐̃ḁ̴̢̼̬͆̇̽͐͆̍͝u̶͇̭͔̹̼̠̒̌͋̈̿s̵̼̺̟̲̔͝k̶̡̭̙͖͂͗͐̂̔l̸̬̙̯̯̠͎͐̈́̓͘a̸̢̨͎̩̦̤̟̩̱̎̍u̵̡̺̺͚͉͌̈́́̐s̶̱̿́͌̃͆̄̓̊̎̕͝k̶͎̖̜̝͇͗̇̍̎͒̈͠ļ̸̬͔͙̣̘̥̈͜a̷͇̺͇̤̝͆u̷͎̦̬̥͕͛̾̎̽̈́͠͠s̴̲̼̰̦̫̳̹͖͂͒̊̎̊́̊̆̇̚!̸̭̿̈́ ̷̗̪͈̗͕̜͚̙̠͖̖̄̈́͗͌W̶̢̍̈é̵̢̢̻̻͔̮͔̾̐̂ ̵̠̓̆̔̈̈́̈́m̷̡̨̰̲͍̥̩̠̣͇͈̤͛̂i̴̗͓̹͂̍͛́̀͑̾͜s̷͇͂̃͒̕͝s̶̮͉̰̭̱̳̺̙͙̹͋͒̒͋̍̈́͊̐̌͊̀̚e̴̯͑̏̈͝d̸̻͓̺͉̫͙͓͖̤̈́̈́̽͛͘͝ ̸̨̼͎̘̀̀̏͗͝y̴̺̞̏͜ǒ̵̟̖̔̑ư̷̧̲̱̟̘̯̑͆̃͌͒̿̌͛̐͝ͅ ̵͕͙͚͛s̷̢̧̙̩̱̞͕̘̬̝͕͙͒̏͗̓̑͊̇͝ỏ̶̟̽̎́ͅ ̷̛̘̯̦̾̓̌̀̒͌m̶̦̬̪̠͇̗̆͊̅̎̇̉̂͠ū̴̻̫̺̳̞͊̽̽͑͑̚̚c̶̤̩͈͍͊͌͊̃͂͋h̴̪̬͙͙͇͂̃̇̊͂̈́͝͝!̶̻̺͇̾̽͂͋
> 
> [Klausklausklausklaus!We missed you so much!]

He’s Klaus now. Wow.

And this, this beast, these beasts…

He named them, and names have power. He was important before he was lost. He was important to the beasts.

The boy’s breath lurches, and then-

_Klaus? Are you here? Please, Klaus. Please-_

And Klaus tries to get closer, to touch the boy, touch the beasts, but-

_nonononononononono he’s back in the cold dirt no-_

* * *

Klaus? I'm back, where are you-

* * *

There’s a voice above his grave, and Klaus gathers his consciousness and cranes his “ear” and he listens.

Or he tries to. There’s still too much distance. He tries but…nothing.

Just because he can’t hear though, doesn’t mean he can’t feel.

And Klaus Hargreeves can feel something-

something dark, but something-

_ almost familiar? _

Almost…like home?

There’s something up there, maybe the little boy? But the little boy doesn’t have such a presence, but-

The darkness isn’t even the scariest thing anymore, because being alone is, and Klaus revels in comfort. In the contact. In **Their** touch. **They** can sense him, and **They** are upset-

_ for him? _

He misses **Them**.

and he misses the little boy.

* * *

_Klaus? Klaus, I'm trying- where are you-Klaus-_

* * *

He dreams about the little boy, who’s fading away and suddenly, it’s Klaus who’s solid.

  
He wakes up with tears on his face, and Klaus wishes he was alive.

  
Or that he was dead.

  
Anything but the _endless in-between._

  
So he focuses and pushes and screams until-

  
_he’s gone._

* * *

_Klaus.Klaus. Wake up, Klaus-_

* * *

It’s sunny here. At the end of the world. It's also colorless, but it can't be perfect, can it?

  
Klaus likes it, likes how there is no sound at all. He stares into the End until he hears the trill of a bicycle bell, and he looks up.

  
There’s a girl on a bike, and Klaus smiles.

  
She does not smile back, and her gaze is watching, observing.

  
“When are you going to get up? I didn’t expect for you to nap for so long.” Her dark hair gleams in the spring sunshine, and she’s waiting for a response.

  
But Klaus is a bag of bones, his tongue having rotted out of his mouth. He is a helter-skelter pyramid of rotting bones and sinew and he’d been like that long before his actual death, lungs marinating in pharmaceuticals and chemical concoctions of the deadly kind.

  
Klaus was meant to die, and sad as it is, death has been kinder to him than his own family.

  
But his tongue is heavy in his mouth, and his mouth is full of teeth, and his voice is raspy, but _his voicebox hasn’t fallen out_ , so-

  
“I don’t know how to wake up. Would it be better to leave?” The girl looks at him, head tilted. He’s suddenly reminded of Allison, and something in him aches.

  
“Up to you. Whatever choice you make, it’s all on you. But you can’t stay awake in your grave.”Her voice is serious and steady and Klaus breathes in.

  
_And out._

  
“Why didn’t I go like the rest? Why did I linger?” _I don’t deserve to have the choice,_ he thinks, and the girl hears.

  
“You’ve always been a wildcard, though I suppose I like you better now.” Klaus can’t even begin untangling that statement, so he huffs, almost a laugh. He turns to the girl one last time.

  
“Anything else before I go back?” He’s not aware of what he’s asking, but. Klaus has never known what he wants and doesn’t plan to start.

  
The girl regards him coolly, feet back on the pedals. “A common theme among mythologies is that the god of death must be dead, in some capacity.” She smirks at him, and then she’s off, long hair gleaming. Klaus closes his eyes, and then-

  
It’s cold again. And Klaus is back to being bones.

  
But now, he knows what to do.

  
And he has all the time in the world, _but his siblings don’t_ , so he doesn’t close his eyes anymore. 

* * *

_Klaus, please come back, we need you, I am falling apart without you-  
_

* * *

He has no point of reference, no way to see his body, to reclaim it. Death is drawn to Klaus like a deadly shroud, and to a certain extent, Klaus is dead. _Klaus has always been dead._

  
But Death is never the end, and Klaus is beginning to grasp that.

He was born to a German woman who’s parents had barely survived the Holocaust because Romani heritage is a death sentence in Europe, but it’s fitting. He grows his bones back as he thinks about his mother, and he [unconciously] makes them lighter. Like a bird.

He has no concept of anatomy, but his resting place is the Earth, with no coffin in between, and the Earth has been growing things forever. One teenager is no hardship for a planet of sheer improbability.

[ _A waterborne churning mass of tectonic plates and magma, sealing an iron core ball. For a creature of such epic impossibility, with an atmosphere of inhalable air-_

_Well._

_Klaus is nothing at all._ ]

He isn't in charge, not really. He's just a conduit, a mass of decayed firing neurons with something called personality, something whispy that might be a soul. He basically just has to remember, ask the Earth to remember how he was and pull and pull until he has something that resembles living cells.

[ _Hades ruled over anything underneath the surface, so the Greeks prayed to him equally. Demeter controlled the surface, but Hades controlled the wealth within. The fertile soil, the jewels, the minerals...  
_

_And Hades stole Persephone (or so they say), but maybe Persephone jumped into Hell because of obligation, and perhaps Life incarnate is scarier than death because she can never truly die._

_Klaus is beginning to understand._ ]

He has to be careful to not overdraw. Too much and he’ll die again, and his progress will be in vain, and too little means no progress at all. He learns that he can draw from the Earth, so long as he doesn’t mind the vines lacing through his temples, temporarily.

[ _Ereshkigal has seven gates, and each gate takes something from the traveler because Death is not an easy path, and those who come out, such as Ishtar and Nergal each give up something of their own._

 _They could not escape on their own, and Nergal is not Ereshkigal's lover._ _He is her captor, but she is the Queen of the dead. There is no escape from that which is inevitable.  
_

_Klaus can't leave without giving something up. He begins to see._ ]

Migraines. Drawing from the Earth gives him a migraine, but it does make things faster. He's tired, and he's half grey from sinking into death, but he perseveres. He learns patience and he learns haste because he's spent three years wishing to remember and now, and now-

  
_His family has been waiting for such a long time._

_(Perhaps that has been his loss, the time he could've had, the memories he could have made-)_

  
The Earth slowly sews back his limbs, and his heart is less made of muscle than it is sheer willpower, but he’s been running on less than full consciousness for the better part of what, three years? So yeah, he’s fine.

  
The day the Earth stops leeching into his head is the day he gets his pulse. He says day loosely because it’s been a while, and it’s taken almost forever to grow himself back, and he’s almost convinced his skin is going to be chemically dyed a few shades darker from sheer exposure. He doesn’t know what he does, only that one minute he’s dead, and the next, his heart is pumping, and Klaus breathes.

His fingers touch and they feel, and his skin is wound tight around his limbs, and his heart is pumping madly, out of pace, and Klaus smiles madly six feet under the ground.

_[Maybe all he needed to master his powers was to die.]_

* * *

Kͦ̅ͦ̈́̔̓ͪ̐̾̔͑͂́̀̚͜҉̤̝̳̭͝l̶̸̲͙̩̣̜̱̜̘̜̗͎͈̗̥̙̩̖͎ͫ̄ͦ̋ͧ̍̔͠ͅa̶̹͙̗̞͔͕̱̟̰̜̺͆ͤͧͩͧ̋ͩ̚̚͞u̧̗̭͙͙̺̰ͤ̅̾͛̅̽͒̅͑̄ͩ͆͟s̡̭͍̭̝̣͙͍͎̙͉̈́̍ͦ̓̇͌͋̄͌̑ͪ̂̾̐̈͒̄ͯ̚͜,̛͓͍̤͔̥̩̼͙̦̺̤̗͇̫̫ͤ̐͋ͭ͆͌ͦͬ̉ ̴̩̖̬̘̬̦̫̞̟̩͍͑ͬ̃̍͒ͯ͞ͅͅẉ̸̺̲̠͔̬͖̟̓͊̌͑͑̇̏̈́̚̚͟͜͝͡hͦͭ͊̈ͤͪ̔̽̅҉̷̠̟̫̘͉̼͍̪ë̈̂͂͌͊͂̐̀̔͗͗ͤ͒ͣ̌͐҉̣̥̥̝̺̳̻͝n̷̨̨͓̰̥͈̹̟͙̞̝̦̦̮̱̺̩̔ͦ̏ͣ́͌͠ ̵̧̘͈̤͔͔̠̞̞͈̻̰̔ͨͥͤͣ̑ͨ͊̇ͅâ̸͈̻̗̰͓̥̙̟̪̞̹̟̼̫͍̞̺̖̞̓ͤ͐̑͘ŗ̼̗̪͇̭̦̳̹̬̣̜̤̎͛͌̂͢͡ͅͅể̷͎͖͇̼̙̳͕̰̗̗͇̞ͮ̇̏͆͐ͬ̕͠ ̞̗̳̹͚̦̻̍ͤͥ͛ͤ͂̋̏̎ͦ̒̒ͬ͑ͬ̕͞͞ͅŷ̶̡̲̯̥̩̞̖͔̟̖̀́̌ͮͤ̎̑͂ͫ̊ͯͧͪ̎ͬǫ͍̲͉̘̙̬̹͎̝̹̭̣̰͔͚̼̤̽̉ͯ̃̑̈͛ͫͦ̎ͣ̋ͤͨ͂͐u͑ͧͥ͗͗͛͛̍͏҉̸̤͕̖̠̩͙̝͚̹̯̣̣͞ͅ ̋͆ͦͣ̋͛̑ͥ̂ͭ͂̈́̒͌̓ͯ̓̚͏̲̪̼͍̲̗̻̼̩͚̺̪͔͚͠c̅̆͌̀̔͒́ͬ̽̆̄̓ͩ̇ͣ͏̛̭̦͎͈̫̞͕͈̮͚͔̖͚̪̲͈̰̜̩͡͝ǫͪͧ̈́͂ͫ͑ͧͤ̽̃͗͋͊̍́̀͒ͪ͏̣̯̹̘̗̕m̑͐̌̌̾ͮ̎͆̈̐̓̿̈́̄͛͐͑ͧ͏̴̪̖̩̰̗̞̤̞̹i͗ͣ̉ͣ͗̓ͮ̐̑҉̱̠̲̻͔̫̗̣̮̝͎̯̝͉̫̬̹͕͘͝n̷̤͙̭̳̘͎̪̗̝̱̟̆̔ͥ̈́̆͒͊ͫͫͯ̽̈́͜͝g͑̅́̎̍ͨ͏͝͏̫̰̪͇̞̙̹̺͚̹͉̠̻͚̹̳͜ͅ ͛̌͆ͥ̿ͣ͊͊̈́̉̒ͬ̀̅͘҉̢̧̧̬̰͖̳̞̤̲̻͉̤h̐̄̎̊̌͂͊̈͝͏̨̡̙̗͚̘͞o̧̢̮͙̘͚̣͙̘͉͙ͥͯ͐̓͑̍̄̈́ͥ̈̂ͧ̿̈ͭ͐͗̄͜͢ͅm͆͛ͬ͌ͨ͐̋͋̔͗̏̒ͬ͑͘҉̠͙̦̦̹̬̘͓̻̯̰͓͚͟ͅé̶̺̳̟̫̻ͭ̽̒̄ͯͪͭ̔̎̀́̔͊̚͢͝͞?̩̖̘̩̰̪͚̭͙͇̝̻̋ͮͨ̆́ͤͬ̇ͥͦ͑́̈́ͪ̋̿̾͡W̶̴̱͚̼̪̺̳͔̺͂͌͋͑͂̄ͫ͌̊ͩ̽̅ͮ͗ͩ̈͝ę̶̤͇̙͉͖̜̗̯̘̰̗̪̑̋ͯ̀ͦ ̵̵͍̺̤̯̬̠̟͚̤ͭ́̇̍̋ͤ̍ͬ́̑̎͊ņ̧̡̛̮̼̤̦̫̲̝̤̻̯͚̝͚̱̼̖̟̘̠̑͗̌̔̂̑̒ͪë̷̻̰̗̟͈̟̼͓͙͓͇̪̮̥̥̲̣̿̑̍͒ͦ̚͢͝ę̛̃͐͋̆ͪ̋̅͛̄ͣͭͦͧ̚̚̚͏̭̭͔͈͙̪̩͚͉̫͟ͅd̡̧̳̗̤̺͖̤͕̟̭ͪ̇̇̏̄̐̓̈ͭ ̴̵̧̳͎͚̭̩̣̘̰͓̘͎̪̿͒ͦ̋̍͆̈́ͅyͯͦ̓̑ͣͯͣ̆ͩ͛̔̈͏҉̸̫̣̟̻̝̮̗̺̠̺͕̲̮͖͚̫̲̥ō̷̡̺̤̣̺̋̑͆͋ͭ̋̓̏̏̈̉͒̈́̉ͭͤ̀͊̕͝ŭ̆̋̂ͣͯ̅ͮ̑̑͌ͧͦ̈ͮ͋̽҉̣͕̣͓̭̖͉̠͇͍̣̻̙̻̫̘̼̤͙͜.̸̶̽̑̓ͧ̌̀͂̌̅͒͂̔̑̓ͫ͆̆͝҉̮͉͉̼̳̻̳̗̭̹̺ͅͅĬ͉̝̱̥̣͔̻͔͓̬̥̣̪̙͙̯̝͂̊̽̒ͧ̊̅̇̉̉̔ͮ̂͂̃ͮ͘t̴̻̦̘̯̞̹̘̣̖ͫ͛̂ͬ̈́̄̽ͩ͒͋ͮͭͪ̇ͩͪ͡'͇͕̟̯̻̺̙̼̱̜̟̲̹̘̤̂̑̒̈́ͭ͗͋̋ͯͪ̅͟͞s̷̡̲͇̳̣̰͍̦̣̺̳̝̼̺͂ͬͤ̾̈́̒̿ͪ̐͆ͥ̎̇̕ ̴̛̣͈̭̲͍̻̖̹̺̥̱̯̻̯̌̆͑ͨ̈́͟͜ẗ̨̂͗̈́ͩ͛͌ͤ̈́̇ͮ͏̴̘̹̘̖̞̝̰͎̰͙̬͈͖̙̖͠i͛͊̋͗ͤ̂̐̑̆͛͌̍ͤ͡҉̧̭̥͚̭̤̻͇̤̰̰̯̱͘m͇̣͔͉̬̪͕̖̲͇̖̥͈͎̉ͬ̏̉ͯ͌̄͡ẻ͇̜̙̳̩̞̜̙͈̰͖͖̗̩̘̺̟̫̘͊ͬ̌͂̉̐͊͐̋ͪ̒́ͣͮ̔ͮ͡ ̸̵̩̣̯͔̩͕̦̠̬̼̓̇ͫͫ̑̉̄̚͘t̴̢̡̢̺̞̦̹̪̙ͭͪ͋̋͌ͬ̅͗̿̎̔̓͗͞o̡̢͚̜̻̥̯͉͓̥͕̳̺̺̥̺ͣͨͤ̂̌ͧ̈́ͪͫ̿̀̋͐͋̐͟͢ͅͅ ̸̢̝̘̻͎̩̝̠͖̹̫̬̟͍ͨ̍̇̾̑ͭ͗͛ͩ̊͡͡ẁ̶̛̜͚̳͙̯̳̱̜̣̜̲̩̮̦̲̥̟̠̮̂̅͊͊͗ͭͩ͆̐̅ȧ̸̢͙̦̪̯̰̦̝̖̩̤̪̹̙̱ͬ͒ͪ͟k͖̥͇̻̮̻̜͚̫ͪͨ̄ͫ̌̐͜e̷̬͎̱͉̤̘̤͉̤̭͗̉͐̎ͭͮͧ͐ͫ̔̔ͥ͊̌ͦ̊͌ͤ͟͜͡ ̡̧̜͎̝̭͔̹̞̺̦͕ͦ͂ͧ̂̔̎u͍̙̮̪̺̗͈̦̫͚̖̪̜ͣ̑̔́̎̾̚̕͠ṗ̵̉̔̑͢҉̸̝͇̗͚̞̥͕̟͙͉̜̙̻͓͞.̵̷̥̖̘͉̻̰̟̭͉̮̪̟̬̼̪̉͊̐̎ͨͤ̋̌͋̎́͋̐̽̚

[Klaus, when are you coming home? We need you. It's time to wake up!]

* * *

Klaus is alive and he is trapped like Persephone is, except his pomegranate is a good deal more physical than hers was.

He can't dig himself out. The Earth won't let him, because the laws are simple.

Persephone had Demeter and Hecate, and Nergal had Enki.

And Klaus has the little boy, and in his waiting, he thinks about his family.

He thinks about the little boy, now that he’s got a solid brain in his skull, now that skin covers his face, and he finally pulls out a name from the backside of his mind.

  
Ben.

  
Something unfurls at the name, something that could be love or desperation or affection, and suddenly, Klaus remembers his eyes.

  
He remembers the cut on his belly, soft.

  
He remembres his straight, silky hair.

  
He remembers his soft voice.

  
He remembers.

  
He remembers,

  
and for that, he opens his eyes, and tears slip out, and he cries for the boy he left behind.

* * *

_It's been a while since you've visited Ben. Do you want us to come with you-_

_No. I'll go on my own, tomorrow-_

_Are you sure-_

_Don't worry about me. I'll be fine-_

* * *

  
Ben.

  
Ben.

  
Ben.

  
Ben is sanity, Ben is mercy, Ben is understanding and kind and ben loves everyone and everyone loves Ben. 

  
Ben is loved. Ben is love.

  
Ben is gentle with Vanya, intelligent and wise with Five, sweet with Allison, helpful to Luther, funny with Diego. And they love him, but Ben is something else with Klaus.

  
Ben is bold and sarcastic, and scared and sad. Ben is brave and Ben is tired and-

_BenBenBenBenBen-_

  
Ben is an anchor, and Klaus is alive, but Ben-

Ben would be so easy to find. Ben has a bit of madness and a portal to the underworld in underneath his sternum and so- and so-

_Ben-_

_Please._

_Come find me._

* * *

_You're always in my dreams, Klaus. I don't think I'll ever leave you alone-_

* * *

Ben walks to the broken mausoleum because his siblings are worried about him.

Ben's siblings are worried about him, and he hates it.

He hates that they care and that they cling, but he also hates how it's not enough. It simply matters less, because it's not a matter of quantity if he only wants one person to care.

He only wants one person.

And he's gone because Ben didn't get there fast enough.

Sometimes he'll turn around and expect Klaus to say something, but of course, he's not there, and then Ben wants to kill someone or kill himself because he hates this, hates having feelings that won't go away.

Anyway.

His remaining siblings are worried about him, and Allison has been bugging him about visiting Klaus's grave because he hasn't done that in a while. She thinks it's because he's repressing something. But really, it's just because he doesn't need to be at Klaus's grave to talk to Klaus.

Klaus is everywhere. In his dreams, in his nightmares, at breakfast and curled up next to him. Klaus is in his thoughts constantly, and he'd call it an obsession, but it wouldn't change anything, because it doesn't matter what he names it, he just wants Klaus.

And Klaus died at thirteen, five months after Five vanished, so at least he's not alone, right? Five will keep Klaus out of trouble, probably.

But Ben doesn't think Five is dead. 

And he can't help but think that Klaus is alone.

Things have been odd after Klaus's death. After his little episode at dinner, his 'father' wouldn't let him outside on missions. He spent ages trying to contain or control the Horrors, but if it's one thing he and his interdimensional little tentacles agree on, it's that Reginald Hargreeves will not control them.

_(Rumors and silver and knives and holy water and salt and iron and-)_

His siblings thought in the past that he was innocent and sweet, and releasing the Horrors traumatized him. And they did, really, but it wasn't because of the murder. He's been desensitized towards that because it's easy to justify killing as a means to an end. But his siblings think he's horrified at the violence he unleashes, and he's not.

He's aware of the Horrors because, in action, they move in tandem. **Their** voices sing in his head like a mad orchestra full of chaos and non-Euclidean geometry and beaks and tentacles and suckers and blood and Ben isn't a conduit for a monster, he's the conductor. 

He controls them as much as a primordial destroyer can be constrained, but they both know he is not the first conductor **They've** had, nor will he be the last. **They** are his willing curse, his loyal companions, and They are him. He is them. There is no clear boundary to cross because Ben's head is full of darkness and sometimes he imagines killing Reginald and displaying his guts for the world to see and someone innocent would never have thoughts like that, would they?

He wants to kill Reginald, and Horrors sing to him to slice him, to flay him, to murder him, but-

Four years is a long time to miss a person, and Ben keeps missing Klaus, and even though Klaus wasn't innocent, far from it, Klaus wouldn't want Reginald's blood on his hands, would he?

_["You're hands are so soft, Benny! Do you use moisturizers or something?"]_

Klaus is gone and Ben has stayed, because Klaus loved the rest of them, and Ben needs to protect them, especially the ones who can't defend themselves. Which is, in fact, all of them, because they're all so twisted and Klaus is gone-

Ben reaches Klaus's grave, and sits on the ground in front of it, sighing. 

What can he say that hasn't been thought, hasn't been said?

He clears his throat, about to say something, but he chokes up. He remembers the night they buried him, with his body so cold and hard and limp, his soft knuckles and closed eyes.

Ben wants Klaus back, and it hurts so, so much all the fucking time.

He leans forward and lays on top of his brother's grave, ignoring the wildflowers growing on top as he pretends Klaus can hear him. Like Klaus hasn't fluttered away like a bird.

"I miss you, you dumb bitch. I miss you so, so much, and sometimes I can hear your voice and I'll turn around but you aren't there, and it physically hurts. The Horrors miss you and I miss you and Diego and Vanya and Allison and even Luther miss you, even if he won't say it out loud, because no one else goes into your room, but I do because I can't sleep there in my own bed without you, and the Horrors are almost calm but it doesn't matter, see, because you aren't there, and what happened to moving out at eighteen? We'll be eighteen in a few months, Klaus, and I can't leave here without you! We're supposed to get an apartment together and take care of Vanya and you're not..." Ben lets his tears fall onto the grave.

"But you're not here, and I don't know what to do without you." He presses the side of his face to the rough grass, sniffling.

"If I was dead, I'd haunt you, but as it is, I wouldn't even be able to tell. It makes me wish I'd died instead because I can't live without you. You promised to not leave, you bastard, and you died!"

"You left me here," he says, voice hoarse. "You left me here, all by myself, and everyone is falling apart without you." He sits up, leaning on the tombstone.

"Sometimes I pretend I'm okay, but then you come in my dreams, and then I can't...I can't move on. And I don't want to move on, not without you. You're always in my dreams, Klaus. I don't think I'll ever leave you alone, because I miss you so, so much." He rubs his eyes.

"Please, please come back. I've come here, haven't I? Didn't I find you?" When there's no response, as he expected, he gets up.

"Fine. Fine. I'm just going to bear my fucking soul out, and you're going to lay there, dead as a doornail, and I just have to bear it. Fuck you. Fuck you motherfucker, you better get up. I refuse to leave his stupid place without you, even if I die here!" His chest heaving, he waits, face contorted in a snarl.

"I found you!" And Ben closes his eyes, breathing heavily, cheeks sticky from tears and dirt. He's so tired of waiting, wanting. He's almost ready to give up.

_He doesn't hear it at first._

* * *

_I've come here, haven't I? Didn't I find you-_

* * *

Klaus is a boy who died in fear, who died alone, waiting.

Ben is a boy who lived in pain, waiting.

And such a story would end there, in heartbreak, because wishing does not bring back the dead.

_Except._

Except Klaus is no longer a dead boy, afraid of himself.

And Ben went to the ends of himself taming the beasts he could never control.

_Things change._

And as a little girl on a bike cracked a small smile,

a creature of death curled in its lopsided grave

hearing for the first time what it needed.

Because Klaus was tired of waiting too, and he'd crossed death itself to find _his little boy_.

So he pushes his fingers and claws his way upwards, through rock and roots and debris, through bugs and bits and decay, through his own exoskeleton. His fingernails hurt and he's tired and it's six feet of dirt so it takes such a long time, so long that the boy with shining eyes moves to walk away, and he almost leaves, but-

His fist breaks through, and then it's simple.

He claws his way out, desperate, scrambling for purchase, gasping as fresh oxygen fills his lungs, and he makes a sound akin to a dying beast, but the boy-

Ben-

Turns around, eyes wary, eyes weighted down in sorrow, as he stumbles backward, gasping, eyes disbelieving. Because he must be hallucinating, must be seeing things, because-

because-

_"Klaus?"_ And his brother looks up, eyes shining, body covered in dirt, coughing out dirt and stray particles, before-

"Ben." And Ben clambers forward, desperately, and Klaus falls forward, and it's terrible as their knees knock together and Klaus is on top of ben, dirty hands pressing against his sticky cheeks and he presses his forehead to Ben's and then they're crying, Klaus's tears dripping onto Ben's face as they press against each other and Klaus is cackling and Ben's cheeks hurt from smiling and it's just-

Ben flops on the ground, fingers holding only Klaus's upper arm, clenching tightly enough to bruise.

"I...I..." Ben can't even get the words out, but Klaus seems to understand because he presses his fingers in Ben's hair.

"I waited for you," he says, dark eyes watering. "I kept waiting for you and I was scared you'd never come back." Klaus opens his mouth to speak, but Ben can't help but ask,

"Why did you take so long? I missed you so much and I was-" _I was lonely_ , he says silently.

"I'm so sorry," Klaus blurts out. "I didn't mean to take forever, but I kept dying and waking up, 'cept I couldn't remember who I was, and I had to put the pieces back together, and I kept seeing everyone and I saw you, once, and I had to find you, but then I was stuck and then I think? I met God? She's interesting, by the way, and she said? I could choose to move on? Or not? But then I had to find a way to come back, but I had to wait forever for you to come here because I needed you to want me to come back? Or something? But then you came, so...I'm here!"

Ben hugs him tight enough for their ribs grind against each other, and it hurts but it's grounding and Klaus lets him do whatever he wants because it must have been so, so hard for him to bury him.

"You met God?" Ben's voice comes muffled, somewhere from his shoulder.

"Yeah. It was weird." Ben's laugh sounds exactly as Klaus envisioned it, a little rusty but ultimately sweet.

"Oh, Klaus. You idiot. I'm so sorry." Klaus looks at him, confused, and Ben sighs.

"If I'd just been faster, if I'd just listened to the Horrors-"

"If maybe daddy dearest hadn't locked me up in a literal tomb?" Klaus's eyes are forlorn, and Ben laughs, sadly.

"If daddy dickhead had loved us..." Klaus hooks his chin on Ben's shoulder, sighing.

"It doesn't matter, really. I love you, and I came back for you. Who cares about the old geezer? Now that I'm back, we should grab V and maybe Diego and run away." Ben has to crack a smile at that. He untangles himself from Klaus and gets up, holding a hand out.

Klaus's eyes flash, and he places his hand on Ben's and allows himself to be pulled up.

"I'm shorter than you now." And Ben smirks, because he's almost a head over Klaus now, because Klaus hasn't really aged at all. He’s taller than Klaus, and he’ stronger than Klaus, so he turns around and bends over, motioning for Klaus to get on his back.

“Really? A piggyback ride? You really are a man after my heart, Mon Frere.” And Ben can’t help but laugh at that, at Klaus being Klaus. God, he's missed this.

“Hold on tight, Klaus. We’re going to give the old man a heart attack!” And Klaus’s smile turns into something vindictive.

“What are you waiting for? Satan’s waiting for him! Let’s go!”

And the brothers speed over to the mansion, eyes wide and clear, voices loud and hopeful.

> > _Anywhere, anytime_  
>  _I would do anything for you_  
>  _Anything for you_  
>  _Yesterday got away_  
>  _Melodies stuck inside your head_  
>  _A song in every breath_
> 
> _So hold me tight  
>  Hold me tight, or don't  
>  I'm pretty sure that this isn't how our story ends_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so-  
> I love you guys.
> 
> My usage of italics is only shadowed by my usage of hyphens, and yes, I regret everything.
> 
> By the time I got to the ending, I realized that this fic is probably the sappiest thing I've written, ever, and that it would not be out of place for me to make them literally kiss because they're so soft. But I didn't. Because that's pseudo-incest. And I'd feel bad about changing the rating. Guys, I've literally written a romantic love story and it was less sappy than this. Cri.
> 
> Anyway, I love y'll, and I'd love to hear more from you. Should I make the Omakes? Or should I write a remix or something? with your endings? Genuinely want to hear from you....

**Author's Note:**

> I don't fucking know, okay? I love Ben, I love Klaus, I love both of them so much and I was sad.
> 
> Alan Walker, baby! Also, peppered in a Lovecraft quote in the title, so kudos if you noticed that.
> 
> Tell me if you want the ending to be happy or sad? Contemplating Klaus digging himself out...


End file.
